Method of assembling closure latches

ABSTRACT

A door lock is assembled by mounting the fork bolt, the detents, and various links for the detents on a main frame to provide a latching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested. The outside and inside operating members, the intermittent member, and the locking lever are mounted on the auxiliary frame to provide an unlatching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested. Both subassemblies are tested and then assembled as a unit.

i d States inventors Alfonsas Ariauslms Troy;

Wieslaw S. Znydel, Sterling Heights, both of, Mich.

44,11 s June 8, 1970 Division of Ser. No. 726,973, May 6, 1968, Pat. No. 3,545,800.

Aug. 31, 11971 General Motors Corporation Detroit, Mich.

App]. No. Filed Patented Assignee METHOD OF ASSEMBLHNG CLUSIUJRE LATCHIES 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 29/434,

29/407, 29/469 Int. Cl 1323p 19/00,

B23q 17/00, 323p 21/00 [50] Field oi Search 29/434, 445, 469, 407, 400, 428

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,701 4/1899 Brisselet 29/445 3,315,503 4/1967 Schlage 29/434 X Primary ExaminerThomas l-l. Eager Attorneys-W. E. Finken and Herbert Furman ABSTRACT: A door lock is assembled by mounting the fork bolt, the detents, and various links for the detents on a main frame to provide a latching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested. The outside and inside operating members, the intermittent member, and the locking lever are mounted on the auxiliary frame to provide an unlatching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested. Both subassemblies are tested and then assembled as a unit.

METHOD OF ASSEMWLIING CLOSURE LATCH-IE8 This is a division of US. Pat. No. 3,545,800 Arlauskas et al. issued Dec. 8, I970, and assigned to the assignee of this inventron.

This invention relates generally to closure latches and more particularly to a method of assembling closure latches.

One feature of this invention is that the latching mechanism, including the bolt and the detent or detents therefor as well as various pivots and springs for such members, are assembled to a main frame, the locking and unlatching mechanism, including the intermittent lever, the locking lever, the remote levers, and various pivots and springs for such members, are mounted on an auxiliary frame, and the main and auxiliary frames are then assembled to complete the closure latch.

By assembling the closure latch in such manner, the latching mechanism can be assembled and tested and the locking and unlatching mechanism can be assembled and tested before the two are assembled to each other to complete the closure latch. This provides for ease of testing and also for ease of assembly.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide an improved method of assembling closure latches to permit ease of assembly and testing by separately assembling and testing the latching mechanism and the locking and unlatching mechanism.

This and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of a vehicle body embodying a door lock assembled according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially broken away view of the lock in unlocked condition with the bolt in latched position;

F IG. 3 is a partially broken away view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the bolt in unlatched position; and

FIG. 5 is a partially broken away perspective view.

Referring now to the drawings, a vehicle body designated generally 110 includes a front door 12 hinged at its forward edge M to the body for swinging movement between a closed position as shown and an open position, not shown. Door 12 is held in closed position by a closure latch 16 assembled according to this invention.

As shown in the drawings, the latch 16 includes a main frame or plate 16 which is adapted to abut the rear or free swinging wall of the door 12 and to be secured thereto by suitable bolts extending through the door wall and into tapped, extruded openings 26 of the frame. An auxiliary frame or plate 22 partially covers the frame 18 and is staked at 24 to an upper flange 26 of frame 118, staked at 28 to an inboard side flange 30 of frame 18, and staked at 32 to a lower flange 34 of the frame 16.

A fork type bolt 36 is rotatably mounted on a pin 38 which extends between and is staked to the frames l8 and 22. A coil torsion spring 40 surrounds the pivot 38 and has one leg thereof slidably bearing against a headed pin 42 secured to the bolt and the other leg thereof hooked to a lateral tab 44 of frame llfl to continually bias the bolt clockwise toward its unlatched position, shown in FIG. l. The bolt is located in this position against the action of the spring 40 by engagement of an edge 46 of the bolt with the tab M.

The bolt includes a bolt throat defined by inboard and outboard legs 63 and 50. When the bolt is in latched position shown in H6. 2, the shank of a headed striker pin 52 is received within the bolt throat. The striker pin is mounted on the adjacent pillar wall of the body and the head of the pin is trapped between a cam rump 5- 3 staked to the frame 22 and a rotary shoe 56 which is pivoted at 56 to the frame 22 and biased in a counterclockwise direction by a coil tension spring 60 hooked between the shoe and an apertured upper flange 62 of frame 22.

The boltincludes a main bolt shoulder 64 provided on the outboard leg 50 and a secondary shoulder 66 provided on the body of the bolt generally diametrically opposite the shoulder 66. When the bolt is in its fully latched position shown in FIG. 2 in engagement with the striker pin 62, a foot 66 of a main dc tent 76 engages the shoulder 66 to retain the bolt in this position. The detent 70 is pivoted on pin '72 staked to the frames 18 and 22 and a coil torsion spring 76 surrounds the pin '72 and engages a notched tab 76 of the detent and a notched opening in the flange 26 to continually bias the detent clockwise about the pin 72.

The secondary detent 76 is pivoted on a pin 66 which extends between and is staked to the frames lift and 22. A coil torsion spring 82 surrounds the pin fill and has one leg thereof hooked within an opening in the flange 36 and the other bent leg 64 thereof engaging against a connecting or transfer link or member 86, to be described, to continually bias the secondary detent in a clockwise direction about the pin 66. The hookshaped foot 88 of the secondary detent engages the shoulder 66 of the bolt when the bolt is in intermediate latched position, not shown, which is slightly clockwise of the fully latched position shown. When the bolt is in fully latched position, the foot 86 is always in a position to engage the shoulder 66 should the foot 66 of detent 70 for any reason be released from the shoulder 64.

The transfer link 86 is pivoted at 69 to the detent 78 and the upper end thereof includes a laterally inwardly extending tab 96 which overlies an arm 92 of the main detent 70. Further, the link 66 includes a closed slot 96 which slidably receives a headed pin 96 staked to the main frame 18 to limit lateral shifting movement of the link 86 relative to the frame 13.

The outside operating member 96 is pivoted at 1166 to the frame 22 and is pivoted at 102 to an intermittent link or member 104. A coil torsion spring H06 surrounds the pivot and has one leg thereof engaging a notched lateral tab 1168 of frame 22 and the other leg thereof engaging a notched tab of the intermittent member to continually bias the member 92 clockwise of pin 100 and normally hold it in engagement with a lateral tab 1112 of plate .22.

An outside handle 116, FIG. 1, includes a pushbutton mechanism 1ll6 which shifts a rod lllfl downwardly upon operation. Rod lllll is guided for movement by an extruded opening in a lateral flange 1120 of frame 22 and normally engages a lateral flange 122 of the member 92. Upon depression of the pushbutton mechanism M6, downward movement of rod 118 swings the operating member 98 counterclockwise about the pivot W0.

A locking lever 124 is pivoted at 126 to the frame 22 and a coil type overcenter spring 128 is hooked between the locking lever and an opening in the frame 22 to locate the locking lever in either its unlocked position as shown or its locked position, not shown, slightly clockwise of its position shown. The locking lever is located in unlocked position by engagement of a shoulder 130 with flange 62 and is located in its locked position by engagement of a shoulder 132 with a flange of frame 22. A depending foot of the locking lever includes a lateral tab 134 slidably received within a closed, generally elongated slot 136 of the intermittent member llll to shift member 1M about pivot 102 upon movement of the locking lever.

When the locking lever is in unlocked position, as shown, member 104 is located as shown with a lateral flange ll ll ll thereof overlying a lateral flange 142 of member 26. When the locking lever is in locked position, member MM is pivoted counterclockwise of its position shown so that flange Ml no longer overlies flange M2.

Upon counterclockwise movement of member 96 by rod 116 as previously described, member 10 1 will be shifted downwardly and the engagement of flange M6 with flange M2 shifts the member 66 downwardly. Tab 90 engages arm 92 to swing the main detent 7i) counterclockwise about pin '72 to released position as the secondary detent 7h swings in the same direction to released position about pin 60 to move the foot 88 out of the path of the bolt shoulder 66. Spring 60 thereupon moves the bolt 36 to unlatched position, shown in FIG. l.

The inside release means includes a conventional inside remote handle 144, FIG. 1, connected by a shiftable rod 146 to one leg of an inside remote bellcrank lever 148. Lever 148 is pivoted at 150 to a lateral flange 152 of the frame 22 and the other leg thereof underlies member 98 so as to swing this member counterclockwise upon operation of handle 144 and release the main detent 70 as previously described.

Automatic undogging and keyless locking are accomplished by the coaction of a lateral flange 154 on the intermittent member 104 and a lateral flange 156 on the main detent 70. When the intermittent member 104 is shifted to its uncoupled position, flange 154 is adjacent flange 156 and upon initial counterclockwise movement of the main detent when it engages leg 50, the engagement of flange 156 with flange 154 returns the intermittent member to its coupled position shown in FIG. 4. If the outside pushbutton mechanism 116 is actuated before the door is closed, flange 154 is located below flange 156 so that no engagement can occur and member 104 remains in its uncoupled position.

The door lock 16 has a high force-open strength which is achieved by inverting the fork bolt and locating the shoulder 64 on the outboard or leading leg 50 of the bolt. Consequently, the force of the striker pin 52 in a force-open direction, or to the right as viewed in FIG. 2, is applied against the same leg to which the restraining force of the detent 70 is applied. Thus, the force applied by the striker pin 52 is split between the pivot pin 38 and the detent pivot 72 to prevent tearing of the pin 38 from the frame 18.

It will also be noted that the bolt includes a tab or shoulder 158 which engages the tab 44 to limit overtravel of the bolt when the bolt moves to latched position.

In accordance with this invention, the door lock 16 is arranged so that the latching mechanism which includes the main frame 18, the bolt 36, the detents 70 and 78, and the link 86 as well as the various springs and pivot pins, can be assembled as a unit and then tested. Likewise, the unlatching mechanism which includes the member 98, the intermittent member 104, the locking lever 124, the remote lever 148, the shoe 56 and the ramp 54 as well as the various pivot pins and springs, can be assembled as a unit with the auxiliary frame 22 and then tested. Thus, in effect, the latching mechanism can be built and tested as a unit, the unlatching mechanism can be built and tested as a unit, and then the two. can be assembled to complete the door lock.

Thus, this invention provides an improved method of assemwherein flange 140 does not overlie flange 142,

bling vehicle body door locks.

We claim:

1. A method of assembling a closure latch comprising, pivotally mounting a bolt on a main support frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, pivotally mounting a primary detent on the main support frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt, pivotally mounting a secondary detent on the main support frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt, pivotally and slidably mounting a transfer link on the main support frame, and coupling the transfer links to the primary detent and to the secondary detent to provide a latching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, pivotally mounting an operating lever on an auxiliary support frame for movement by inside and outside release means, pivotally mounting a locking lever on the auxiliary support frame for movement between locked and unlocked positions, pivotally connecting an intermittent member to the operating member, and pivotally and slidably connecting the intermittent member to the locking lever for movement between coupled and uncoupled positions with respect to the transfer link to provide an unlatching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, testing the subassemblies, and assembling the main support frame and the auxiliary support frame to each other.

2. A method of assembling a closure latch comprising,

pivotally mounting a latch bolt on a main support frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions relative thereto, pivotally mounting a detent on the main support frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt to provide a latching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, pivotally mounting an operating lever on an auxiliary support frame for movement by inside and outside release means, pivotally mounting a locking lever on the auxiliary support frame for movement between locked and unlocked positions, operatively connecting an intermittent member to the operating lever, pivotally and slidably connecting the intermittent member -to the locking lever for movement of the intermittent member between coupled and uncoupled positions to provide an unlatching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, testing the subassemblies, and assembling the main support frame and the auxiliary support frame to each other to complete the assembly of the closure latch and locate the intermittent member with respect to the detent. 

1. A method of assembling a closure latch comprising, pivotally mounting a bolt on a main support frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, pivotally mounting a primary detent on the main support frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt, pivotally mounting a secondary detent on the main support frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt, pivotally and slidably mounting a transfer link on the main support frame, and coupling the transfer links to the primary detent and to the secondary detent to provide a latching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, pivotally mounting an operating lever on an auxiliary support frame for movement by inside and outside release means, pivotally mounting a locking lever on the auxiliary support frame for movement between locked and unlocked positions, pivotally connecting an intermittent member to the operating member, and pivotally and slidably connecting the intermittent member to the locking lever for movement between coupled and uncoupled positions with respect to the transfer link to provide an unlatching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, testing the subassemblies, and assembling the main support frame and the auxiliary support frame to each other.
 2. A method of assembling a closure latch comprising, pivotally mounting a latch bolt on a main support frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions relative thereto, pivotally mounting a detent on the main support frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt to provide a latching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, pivotally mounting an operating lever on an auxiliary support frame for movement by inside and outside release means, pivotally mounting a locking lever on the auxiliary support frame for movement between locked and unlocked positions, operatively connecting an intermittent member to the operating lever, pivotally and slidably connecting the intermittent member to the locking lever for movement of the intermittent member between coupled and uncoupled positions to provide an unlatching mechanism subassembly capable of being tested as a unit, testing the subassemblies, and assembling the main support frame and the auxiliary support frame to each other to complete the assembly of the closure latch and locate the intermittent member with respect to the detent. 